DOVER— Before three Democrats square off in the primary race Tuesday for the District 2 Executive Council seat, questions remain unanswered for some candidates, including the lone Republican running unopposed.

Current seat-holder Daniel St. Hilaire announced he is not seeking reelection this year after previously stating he feels the district "changed too much." He told WMUR's Political Scoop the recent redistricting was designed in a way that he felt intentionally removed GOP-leaning towns — District 2 now stretches from the southwest corner of the state, from Winchester and Hinsdale to Keene and Belmont, before stretching up the coast toward Dover.

Colin Van Ostern, of Concord, is up against former District 2 Councilor John D. Shea, of Nelson, and Rochester's Shawn Mickelonis on the Democratic ticket.

Van Ostern's campaign called out Republican-hopeful Michael J. Tierney, of Contoocook, this past August, for attempting to block Planned Parenthood from dispensing birth control throughout the state. Tierney told Foster's he was "not surprised" by Van Ostern's claims, and alleged much of Van Ostern's financing is coming from Planned Parenthood supporters. Tierney, 35, currently works as an attorney for the "New Hampshire Right to Life" advocacy group and is amid a case regarding the Title 10 grant. He disputes whether the government should be granting subsidies to organizations like Planned Parenthood for their operations.

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John D. Shea

"Frankly, I wish (Tierney) were as obsessed about jobs and the economy as he is about this issue," Van Ostern, 33, told Foster's. "In this past year, the all-Republican Executive Council has stirred up a number of controversies, on the passenger rail, restricting access to birth control and ¿ (has) effectively fired a state consumer advocate. ¿ I think those decisions have done a lot of damage to our state. We need more of a balance in Concord than we have. That's why I'm running."

Tierney elaborated on his handling of the Right to Life case, which he said involves the issuing of a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request for the competitive bidding process for the Title 10 grant. He said be believes if Van Ostern took office, the Democrat would continue to grant subsidies to the organization.

"As an executive Councilor, it is my job to make sure the contracts stated are contracts that are going to be the most efficient and effective use of pay. It comes down to a spending issue," Tierney said. "Colin wants to spend money, and I don't want to waste money when you can get the same, or even better services, at less costs."

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Shawn Mickelonis

Tierney previously referred to himself as a "true, red-blooded American," looking to limit government spending. Van Ostern works for Stonyfield Farm, Inc. as a business manager and previously told Foster's he supports accepting federal grants for students, the feasibility in bringing a passenger rail from Boston to Concord as well as Gov. John Lynch's licensing and business creation and expansion plan.

Tierney has also publicly called out Shea for not disclosing his views on policies regarding a state sales tax or an income tax. In a press release, Tierney's campaign writes, "New Hampshire voters deserve to hear whether former Councilor John Shea joins Michael Tierney in opposing (a tax) ¿ or whether he joins his fellow Democrats, (gubernatorial candidate) Jackie Cilley and Colin Van Ostern, in their support for additional spending and additional taxes."

In response to a reporter's questions, Shea said he believed the question posed by Tierney was irrelevant, as that issue has not come before the Executive Council in years. He added there is no indication of it being proposed again anytime soon. Shea, 77, served in the Executive Council seat from 2007 to 2008 and from 2009 to 2010.

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Colin Van Ostern

"The council has no vote on that as a legislative action," Shea said, adding he last heard of the issue during Sen. Jeanne Shaheen's years as governor. "I don't have a position (on this issue) because it's never been a factor in anything I've ever run for."

Shea said he recognizes the everyday struggles of fellow people in his community and currently serves as Nelson's town treasurer.

Mickelonis, 31, said he wished his fellow runners would focus on the issues at hand rather than publicly denouncing one another, though Van said he did not believe the information coming out before Tuesday's primary indicated a "contentious" race.

"The fact is, throwing accusations at people and not letting people say what they stand for is inappropriate," Mickelonis said. "We don't need that right now. We need to focus on what we need to do."

Mickelonis referred to himself as a "middle of the road" person. He currently works for Burger King as a corporation manager. He said he would like to focus on expanding railways up to Concord and address spending in the state budget, adding he would seek to create a sense of "togetherness" between political parties. On Tierney's questions directed toward Shea, he added he is additionally not in favor of adopting new taxes.